Gluten-Free: Sun-dried Tomato Sandwich Bread

On Sunday afternoon, I made this great sandwich bread. I tend to make bread on Sundays so that I can have sandwiches for lunch the first few days of the week. It makes for an easy lunch to pack and quite honestly, I really enjoy a good sandwich. Maybe that is what I missed the most – being able to stop at Costello’s (a local grinder shop near where we lived in Chicago) for sandwiches. I would often stop there on my way home from my grad classes which kept me on campus until 9PM after a long day of teaching.

While out shopping this weekend, I found a vacuum pack of sun-dried tomatoes. After missing the sun, thanks to our Pacific Northwest winter days, I thought a little sun-kissed goodness would be in order. (If you can’t find the vacuum-packed ones, don’t worry! While I made this recipe with sun-dried tomatoes that were not packed in oil, you can easily make this recipe with the oil packed kind as well.)

Last night, my love wanted sandwiches for dinner. Normally 3-4 days after making bread, I know that I should probably make grilled sandwiches or at least toasted ones. I didn’t need to do that with this bread, though. After 4 days, I am enjoying the last of my sun-dried tomato bread and it is STILL moist and fabulous.

In fact, my husband (who eats gluten-free with me) remarked how moist his bread was last night too. He even asked for seconds. And if you ask me, when a someone who doesn’t *have* to be gluten-free asks for seconds, you pay attention.

Today I have the last two slices for my sandwich at lunch. I’ve had a sandwich everyday this week which is unheard of! Usually, by the end of the week, I am the leftover queen. And to be honest, I don’t mind the leftovers at all. My love is an amazing cook and we have fun coming up with new recipes and ideas together. I’d rather be eating my leftovers than some of the other options or previous (pre-GF) choices (like the school cafeteria!).

But oh it’s so nice to have a week of sandwiches again.

Here are a few recipe thoughts and tips:

I made this recipe with the 1.5 pound bread pans (10″ x 5″). (You can find some here.) But this recipe is really a better fit (and would make a taller loaf) in a regular bread pan – so no worries. I just grabbed the first one in the cupboard and the larger one was there because I had just made some Millet andQuinoa Bread. (Go Natalie!).

Let the bread rise in the pre-warmed oven, but be sure to turn the oven off. I tend to turn the oven to warm while mixing the ingredients and then turn it off while the bread is in the final 5-minute mix. That way the top of the bread will not begin to bake or dry out.

When the rising time has finished, don’t bother taking the bread out. Just turn the oven up to the baking temperature and bake from there. It you are worried about it, be sure to check back at the half-way point. If the bread is browning faster than you would like, cover the top with aluminum foil to slow the browning down.

Bread storage: I know some people slice and freeze their gluten-free bread. Since I don’t make a lot of bread (usually only what we will consume in a week), I do not slice it until I need to. I store my bread (unsliced) in an airtight Ziploc (with the air squished out) on the kitchen counter. This method keeps the bread perfectly fine for the week. With this loaf, even after 5 days of being stored like this it is still perfectly moist and chewy.

18 comments on “Gluten-Free: Sun-dried Tomato Sandwich Bread”

I am so glad you made a sundried tomato bread. I can’t wait to try it. I had a frustrating week baking bread myself. I can check this kind off my list. It’s perfect!

Natalie – your frustrations would be my triumphs, of that I am sure! And I’m so glad you are a sun-dried tomato fan too. After posting this, I thought for sure I was the only one in the world. LOL – Kate

I made this bread late last night and it is yummy. I think that I’ll try it with oil soaked sun-dried tomatoes next time. My mom is in love with this bread. Also, I just used regular milk powder – I couldn’t find any buttermilk powder in my area, so I’ll have to wait until I make a trip to the specialty store I go to, but it still worked great for moisture.

How exciting it is to be able to make sandwiches again! My kids miss having quick sandwiches as a snack. It would be great to have this recipe work out however my children and I are gluten, dairy and egg intolerant. I really would like to try this recipe, however I cannot use the buttermilk powder. What else could I use that is Dairy free in replacement to the buttermilk for this recipe? I have a egg substitute that I could use in replacement of the eggs. Also my son cannot have flaxseed. Can I replace flax with something else? thanks

What about powdered soy milk for the powdered buttermilk?
And soy milk (or almond milk) for the buttermilk. Just add a little lemon juice to the milk to get the acidity up.
The flaxseed meal is the fiber boost and binder boost. I would suggest brown rice bran as the substitute to boost the fiber.

after taking 2 months to get all ingredients together I was soo excited to make this bread. My daughter and I were so excited about another bread. To our dismay it was not good. Had a strange after taste and truthfully the Bob’s Red Mill bread mix is much better.. Sorry, but I will continue to try other receipes in hope that I eventually run across one that is truly good.

Bummer, Paula – I’m sorry you don’t like this one. Just a couple thoughts for you (and maybe a tip to make your search easier?)
1. If there was a sour taste/aftertaste, then one of the flours/ingredients was old.
2. If you prefer Bob’s mixes for breads, than you should search for some bean-flour based breads. Those are the most similar to your preference.
Hppe that helps!
Kate

I can’t wait to try this for our horseback camping trips. I’ve been wondering how we’re going to do them this year as it’s ALWAYS sandwiches on the trail and dinner back at camp. One thing I have to say about the preheating tip, it won’t work in all ovens though. Mine has the top element heating so it puts a crust on the bread top and won’t bake right. But, it’s not a problem taking it out. I wonder if the SD tomatoes I have are good yet?

Our family has just begun wheat, dairy, egg, soy free cooking due to a child’s dietary
restrictions. Bread is our biggest hurdle. Is there a bread recipe that is soft, moist(but not wet), and fine textured suitable for sandwiches? Can wheat free breads be kneaded and formed in a loaf, or must they always be like a batter?

Hi Carol –
I just saw your question and thought I would take a quick minute to answer. I only have a little time – and gluten free bread is a little tough to start with – but it is doable.

First – the bread is much more like a muffin batter/mix than anything truly “kneadable”. There are a few recipes (like for crescent rolls, etc) that can be rolled out – but the kneading of those is mainly just to get a balance of dry/wet ingredients. Kneading is to activate the gluten and work its stretchy properties. No gluten? No kneading. That being said, you will often have to mix/beat the batter/dough in your mixer/with your mixer for several minutes on medium or medium-high speed to help the xanthan (or guar) gum distribute and bind the bread.

My favorite bread recipes all call for eggs as my family is not egg intolerant. I know several people use a flax/water mix to replace the eggs in their breads, but I do not have experience with this in order to help you.

As far as texture goes, (soft/moist) – it’s definitely something that gluten free breads have to work on. With the additional limitations of no dairy, no egg – you will have to find a way to add fats back in to your bread mix. The egg is both a binder and a fat. The fat helps retain the moisture and thereby give softness and flexibility. You can easily start with a lavash/flatbread recipe and omit the dairy powder or add a dairy-free alternative. Here is my favorite recipe that was use for sandwiches frequently because it is SO easily and quick to make:

Thanks for the recipe, great bread! Made it for the second time today with a few changes. Replaced the sun-dried tomatoes with chopped Kalamata olives (I used five chopped olives), added 1/2 teaspoon rosemary and 1/2 teaspoon of salt, reduced the oil to 1/4 teaspoon, and didn’t proof the yeast as the recipe calls for. Used the bread machine so I put all the liquid ingredients in first, then added the combined dry ingredients, and the dry yeast. I am very happy with the oucome :).